“Then the king sent to him a
captain of fifty with his fifty. And he
went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, ‘O man of God, the king
says, ‘Come down.’” Elijah replied to
the captain of fifty, ‘If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and
consume you and
your fifty.’ Then fire came down from
heaven and consumed
him and his fifty.
“So he again sent to him another
captain of fifty with his fifty. And he
said to him, ‘O man of God, thus says the king, ‘Come down quickly.’’ Elijah replied to them, ‘If I am a man of
God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.’ Then the fire of God came down from heaven
and consumed him
and his fifty.
“So he again sent the captain of a
third fifty with his fifty. When the
third captain of the fifty went up, he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah,
and begged him and said to him, ‘O man of God, please let my life and the lives
of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight.
“‘Behold fire came down from
heaven and consumed
the first two captains of fifty with their fifties, but now let my life be
precious in your sight.’ The angel of
the Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.’ So he arose and went down with him to the
king.” II Kings 1:9-15
Ahaziah was an evil king in a long
string of them since David was made king and died. Ahaziah, however, had fallen through a lattice
and was badly injured. Instead of turning
to God, he had sent a messenger to seek help from a foreign god. God had other plans and set Elijah in their
path to challenge this bad decision. The
messenger returned to Ahaziah to tell him of Elijah’s warning.
Instead of listening, Ahaziah,
being wealthy and ‘powerful’ in his own eyes sent a bunch of soldiers with
their captains three times. The first
two captains were confident they could overcome one little man -- no matter who
his God was, but they were consumed.
The third captain thought
carefully and humbled himself and asked mercy of Elijah’s God. Elijah nevertheless, did not decide what to
do but waited on God to tell him it was time to visit this wayward king.
Father God, please help us always
remember who You are and our part in Your plan.
Help us never stand in our own power but stand in Yours. Help us be wise and willing followers focused
on You rather than on the world, our ‘position’ in it and whatever gain we may
perceive in doing things our own way. Amen.
Take care with love, especially
His! Your servant and friend in Christ,
who still prays for you each morning. Darlene
PS: Please
pray for this ministry. This is the 20th
year of endeavouring to serve others in His name to offer a smattering of
Scripture daily. Find my statement of faith by clicking (or cut and
paste this link into your Web browser): https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com You can
find the WeakDay Devotion online by doing a Google search for “WeakDay
Devotion” (Also, there is a “Google
Blogger” App you can download to read them on your phone.)
NEW PRAYER REQUESTS
- ·
Simon
Flinders (my pastor) and family – now on
long-service leave. Pray for their refreshment and deepening of
family bonds. Pray the family enjoys
time to focus on the love of their Saviour and all the gifts and blessings He
has provided them.
- ·
USA
– that the Lord would demonstrate His power in unexpected and uniting way
during these times of unrest and confusion.
Help hearts settle and rest in Him alone. And let the truth of God’s Word and ways
overcome the drive to destroy our founding values.
- ·
Sergio
– found a job for now, but it wearing him out physically. His diabetes is under control and he’s found
a place to live. Thank you for praying
and please do not stop.
- ·
Toron – finishing
his high school studies needs your prayers for continued strength, focus and
confidence, especially that he will study hard for his final exams (scheduled for this September.) .
- · Me – The Lord is working out something new in my life right now. Please pray for my courage and strength as I follow His leading.
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